Cowboys and Eagles fan Ron Cook celebrates after the Eagles scored a field goal against the Patriots while watching Super Bowl LII Sunday Feb. 4, 2018 at The Friendly Spot.

Cowboys and Eagles fan Ron Cook celebrates after the Eagles scored a field goal against the Patriots while watching Super Bowl LII Sunday Feb. 4, 2018 at The Friendly Spot.

Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Super Bowl a toss-up for some football fans in Southtown

1 / 8

Back to Gallery

Chris Hanley would have preferred to watch his Eagles play in the Super Bowl from a living room in hometown Philadelphia. But, held hostage in San Antonio by his nephew’s wedding, Hanley and his wife Karen resorted to a night out at The Friendly Spot.

Express Newsletters

Get the latest news, sports and food features sent directly to your inbox.

By the time Pink had finished singing the national anthem Sunday evening, nearly 200 patrons had settled in at the outdoor Southtown bar, many clutching their favorite beer.

It was the ninth annual Super Bowl watch party at the bar, though Spurs playoff games still outdraw the most watched American television event of the year, manager Christina Casillas said.

Without much of a rooting interest among the hometown crowd, football apparel could be found on only a select few, with most opting for shorts and t-shirts in the mid-60s weather. In fact, not a single New England Patriots jersey could be spotted, and those wearing Dallas Cowboys jerseys and hats outnumbered all other football fans combined.

As Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski booted the ball downfield to begin the game, Hanley offered some advice for Eagles coach Doug Pederson. The trick, Hanley said, would be to run clock-eating drives, limiting Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s time with the ball, while pass-rushing aggressively when the five-time Super Bowl champ dropped back.

“When Brady has the ball, we’ve got to get to him,” Hanley said. “We have to send a message.”

By halftime, Philadelphia had yet to record a sack on Brady, but the Eagles — buoyed by a last-minute fourth-down trick play that ended in a touchdown catch by Eagles quarterback Nick Foles — led 22-12.

Some Cowboys fans at the bar had trouble deciding between two unpleasant outcomes. An Eagles win, for them, would give a hated division rival the ultimate satisfaction of an NFL championship. But a Patriots victory would give the franchise a sixth Super Bowl win — one more than the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

For Francisco Garcia, 29, the choice proved too difficult: both teams would have to lose the game, he said. When informed that in every Super Bowl, at least one team must win, he refused to decide.

“It’s a tough one," he said. “I’m going to have to still say both lose.”

But for Eagles fan Ron Cook, 61, a desire for NFC East supremacy won out.

“It’s a sense of pride in the division,” he said. “And the Eagles beat the Cowboys. Whoever beats the Cowboys, if they go on to win the Super Bowl, it’s kind of a vicarious victory on our part.”

In the end, as Brady’s last-second “Hail Mary” pass hit the ground, Hanley and Cook got their wish when their Eagles defeated the Patriots 41-33.